Rupert's 89 'Super Seconds' Offline

NB: All the clarets were tasted from burgundy glasses! The effect was quite marked - more emphasis of the brighter, lighter, red-fruited elements and where there was something not quite right with a wine, really emphasising the fault / muddled nose. Took a little time to tune in to the affects and second guess how a particular wine might taste from this glass and how one might expect it to taste from a claret one.

• NV Equipo Navazos La Bota de Fino 35 "Macharnudo Alto" 91 Points

  Spain, Andalucía, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry

  Full straw to light gold. Quite full, slightly yeasty nose, dough. A little fuller and rounder on the palate, very smooth. A touch saline through the mid-palate and to the finish. Nicely long. ****

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Duck egg tart with red wine sauce, turnip purée, lardons and sautéed duck heart.

• 1989 Château Haut-Bailly 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Single Blind. Some sweet fruit on the nose and possibly a touch of wet earth. Good acidity, very bright red-fruited. Nose opening up to show quite exotically. A little more typical with air, good acidity, red fruited, a little savoury, quite long. Guessed DdC. ****

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• 1989 Château Rausan-Ségla 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Single blind. More intense on the nose and seemingly slightly sweeter fruited. A little drier and leaner on the attack and through the mid-palate though. Again, nicely red fruited. Persistent, with a nicely floral character. ****

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• 1989 Domaine de Chevalier 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Single blind.Sslightly dustier nose, nicely red fruited. Again a little drier. Fatter in the glass and starting to show a little more of a savoury character on the nose and palate. A touch of bovril. There's a little more intensity here on the finish than 1 (Haut Bailly). Again, nicely persistent. ****

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Chargrilled English veal rump with violet artichokes, aubergine caviar, crisp brain, gremolata and roasting juices.

• 1989 Château Gruaud Larose 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Single blind. Fuller, deeper, denser nose. Quite a dusty, minerally nose. Nicely intense. A touch of graphite. This is tighter, quite minerally, good line. St Julien, but not at the fleshier end. Gruaud?. there is a touch of of something a little more fragrant here. ****

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• 1989 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Single blind. Bottle 1. Far more floral and fragrant on the nose. Seemingly more open, sweeter fruited. a fleshier St Julien? Poyferre? A little reder fruited and not quite the depth or persistence of the others. Lighter. No, it's Ducru and it's not corked! ***1/2

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• 1989 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Bottle 2. Back-up Ducru opened in error. Wow, darker, denser, a different wine. Far more classical. Dark, dense red-fruited, a touch of graphite and cedar. A different wine. Every bit as good as the Barton. Real depth, persistence and length. ****1/2

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• 1989 Château Léoville Barton 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Single blind. Denser, darker fruit, again, St Julien I think. Barton? A density here, and darker fruit. Very smooth and complete. This is good. Long, complex, persistent, harmonious. ****1/2

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Roast grouse with game chips, bread sauce, pâté and damsons.

• 1989 Château Léoville Poyferré 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Single blind. Dark red fruited, a little more relaxed and fragrant in a slightly volatile sense. Density of fruit with a slightly lifted fragrant edge. Poyferre? Shows a little more acidity and lighter red-fruitedness with air. Possibly starting to show a little disjointed, but I don't think the burg glass helps. ****

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• 1989 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Single blind. Dark. Dark fruited. A touch of coffee and possibly mocha here. Lots going on here. Complex, sweet fruited, again, some coffee bean here. Baron? ****1/2

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• 1989 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Single blind. Lighter, more feminine on the nose. Nicely tobacco and red fruit. Lovely. Elegant. Lalande? A little fresher and a touch of herb. ****

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• 1989 Château Montrose 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Single blind. Dark and really quite dense, but ripe. There is some minerality here. A touch of liquorice too. Dense and almost a touch overdone. Cos? No, Montrose. With air it's showing a bit drier and possibly a little cheesier. Bare ****

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Cheese.

• 1989 Château Palmer 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Single blind. Quite bright but a little vegetal on the nose. Slightly lean and a little clipped on the palate. Fresh, slightly green, Bages? No, Palmer. This does open up and show quite prettily, but it's a pale imitation of a couple of previous bottles of this in the past 18 months. Lighter and more fragrant than the rest of the flight, but a little under cooked. ****

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• 1989 Château Lynch-Bages 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Single blind. Darker and slightly denser. A little denser, riper and possibly a little stewed on the nose. ?A slightly off LLC? No, Bages. Develops to a slightly flabby and dry, silty disjointed wine. Some interest though. ***

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• 1989 Château Cos d'Estournel 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Single blind. A touch volatile and a little medicinal on the nose, a little stewed and plummy. ?a slightly under-par Cos? A little corked? Cos. ***

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• 1989 Château Léoville Las Cases 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Single blind. A tad riper and a little more fragrant on the nose. Palmer possibly, but it does seem leaner than it should for that. No LLC. Again, seems a little underpowered compared to previous bottles of this. OK, but I'm underwhelmed. ***

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• 1989 Château Lamothe Guignard 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  A touch of creme brûlée coupled with grilled pineapple. Ripe, rounded but with a nice edge here, keeps it honest. Ripeness upfront followed by a nicely tighter and more minerally mid-palate and finish. I like this. ***1/2

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Another lovely evening thanks to Rupert's organisation. Excellent wines, all showing excellently bar an underwhelming final flight. Somewhat confusingly, all the Clare's were served in Burgundy glasses that's had a noticeable effect. Everything showed a lot more red-fruited and some a touch volatile on the nose. The third flight seemed unaffected, but the first flight seemed a little redder fruited and less tobacco-scented, Graves-like. The second flight (St Juliens seemed a little flattered, the Barton especially seeming more open, and a little riper than usual. Sadly, the strong on paper last flight seemed to deteriorate a little between opening and tasting. The Palmer and LLC underwhelming cf recent bottles, and the other two seemed to have some sort of fault, or at least not be representative bottles, as I'd the Montrose. As ever, good food, lovely wine and top banter. Thanks all...